My sister-in-law works in a medical clinic and recently I asked her what health problem do the doctors there deal with the most. Her reply didn’t surprise me. She said that anxiety and depression are the biggest issues. Now, everyone worries. Everyone has a problem with anxiety. Despite the fact that we generally think God is against
Read MoreI want to continue this week on the topic of a troubled heart. Especially…worry. Do you ever get overcome by worry? Do you get anxious about the future? Does fear creep in and overtake your thoughts? Trust me, you are not alone. If you are human, you have been there. We can go from 1-100
Read MoreIn the next few articles I’m going to focus on: Worry, Anxiety, Depression…basically “troubled hearts.” Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John: “Do not let your hearts be troubled, but believe in me.” Well, for me at least, that’s often “easier said than done.” Jesus says these words to his disciples. And you might
Read MoreFor the first part of this story, see my previous blog post! So what happened between the two brothers and the shotgun? They forgave each other and it had amazing results. The brothers felt like brothers again. The original shotgun was returned to the brother to whom it was promised. But…the brother refused to take
Read MoreHow do our personalities contribute to our ability to forgive others? My brother and I are alike in many ways. Most probably because of a combination of genetics and identical upbringing. But in a few ways we are quite different. In the positive, my brother is more organized, tends to be a bit more thorough
Read MoreLast week we learned what forgiveness IS. Now let’s take a look at what it IS NOT. In Rick Warren’s well-known book, The Purpose Driven Life, he explains that many people are reluctant to show mercy because they don’t understand the difference between trust and forgiveness. Forgiving others must be immediate, whether or not a person asks
Read MoreImage by Klára Hlaváčová from Pixabay As Spring nears we begin to see the stirrings of new life. My tulip bulbs are about 2 inches through the topsoil now…and I hear birds chirping in the morning. I like the Season of “fresh starts.” In our relationships, there is no better way to start anew than
Read MoreSo What’s the Child’s Role in the Family? Scripture is clear: Children should obey their parents. Ephesians 6:1 explicitly commands: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” This, of course, presupposes that the parent is conforming their life to God’s will, and has no ill-conceived or perverse idea to harm the
Read MoreThe Role of the Christian Father Have you ever taken the time to think about the kind of a father you want to be? As a Christian, the Word will always be our guide. The best way to raise one’s kids is with an understanding of what the Lord wants us to do. The Bible
Read MoreWhy Moms Are Special Acknowledging the influence of moms isn’t just the stuff of Mother’s Day cards… it also became a major finding and theme in a recent Barna study of practicing Christians’ homes in the U.S. The Households of Faith report, produced in partnership with Lutheran Hour Ministries. It finds that mothers—more often than fathers, or any
Read MoreWe all struggle to create the best Christian environment in our home. We all want to raise our children, care for our spouse and treat our grandchildren in a God-pleasing way, don’t we? So what does a “Christian Home” look like? One thing’s certain: it’s not a home governed by dead, restrictive “religious” rules. Instead, it’s a
Read MoreSince this month has five Sundays… and since this is my first article… I feel I can make today’s column explain what I hope to accomplish. I will be writing about emotions, transitions and struggles we all have in trying, through God’s grace, to live the Christian life. I will offer resources such as books
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